Deck Helmet

Review: My name is [redacted]. I hired Deck Helmet in May to resurface my deck. I have to tell you it has been the most frustrating experience of my life with a contractor . There customer service is absolutely ridiculous. I have called several times for updates and they can't tell you anything. All I get is a email from someone that you cannot respond to. The contract says they will call 24 hours before showing up for all steps of the process. They have not given us any notice on any of the steps. Last Saturday they just showed up. The manager dropped off tools and materials and said his crew would be here by noon . I was at work so I came home to get ready for the workers to get started. I took my dogs to kennels and came home to wait. They never showed up on Saturday. I called several times on Saturday and was told they were still on there way. Finally I called and was told that it was to late to start and they would be out at 8 AM on Sunday.Sunday after several calls they showed up at 2:00 pm. They worked until 9pm that night and said they would be back at 8am on Monday . On Monday they didn't show up until 11:30 got very little done and left at 8:00 or so . Tuesday they showed up around 11:30 left three times during the day and left for the day at 5:00 pm . Today Wednesday July 2nd they showed up around 11:00 . When I got home around 2:00 the manager was gone again the guys weren't working because they said there sander was broken . I lent them my sander and when the manager came back he said he had gotten something to fix the sander . 20 minutes later he left again . My wife called him and he said he needed to get a new sander . He has been gone for 2 hours now and has turned his phone off. He has 2 workers at my house just standing around and there is a storm coming . I have paid $800 to kennel for no reason (because they didn't show over the weekend) and given them half of what is owed to them. I really don't think he is coming back. Any help in trying to resolve this would be greatly appreciated . I look forward to hearing from you

Business

Response:

Deck Helmet will finish the deck this upcoming week and your will be finished.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Review: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: The deck was finally completed after a week of stress and disagreements with supervisor and being told this was a one day job. At this point the company is looking for final payment. We feel that our 50% deposit provided is sufficient to close this out. Regards,[redacted]

Business

Response:

We are able to offer you a $250 discount

Review: I signed a contract with Deck Helmet on March 15, 2014. As of today, June 26, 2014, work is not complete. Work has been "in progress" for 120 days. I have opened numerous "tickets" on the Deck Helmet website asking for an update. Deck helmet has provided several anticipated completion dates, but has not met a single estimated simpleton date. When Deck Helmet does perform the work, they only partially complete the work, and then the workers leave the project incomplete, and do not return to the site for several weeks. There is no way to contact anyone by telephone. I must call the toll-free number, ###-###-####, but that number is a call center, who takes my message and opens another "ticket" on my behalf. I sent a certified, return receipt letter to Deck Helmet with my complaint, but that letter has not generated any response. Deck helmet is unresponsive, uncommunicative, and does not meet any deadlines for work that they promise to be finished. Deck Helmet has not called me with any reasonable explanation for their inability to complete work. In fact, there is no way to actually talk to anyone at Deck Helmet - you must call the call center and open a ticket. As of today, work is still not complete.Desired Settlement: I want the job finished, and all punch list items completed to my satisfaction, by July 2, 2014.

Business

Response:

We will have the job completed next week weather permitting.

Consumer

Response:

Please see the attached letter, under whose Terms and Conditions I will accept the reslution.

Regards,

July 1, 2014The attached check in the amount of $4,552.08 represents final payment for the work on my deck (“Deck Helmet”) and my garage (“Garage Helmet”). The final amount reflects a proration of $422.92 as a result of the constructive delays caused by Deck Helmet in completing the job in a timely manner, and the excess cost that incurred for storage of my garage’s contents while waiting for Deck Helmet to complete the work.DelayOur contract, dated March 15, promised that all work would be completed by April 30. Work was not finally completed until June 28. Deck Helmet advised me to remove all contents of my deck and garage so the work could be started. As a result, I ordered a Portable On-Demand Storage unit (POD) for the contents of my garage, in expectation that Garage Helmet would complete work on or about April 30. Work was not completed on April 30. In fact, Deck Helmet provided a continuing promise of when work would be completed: May 16, May 30, June 9, June 20, June 27, and finally, June 28. All during this time, my garage’s contents remained in POD storage. I originally expected to pay $211.46 for one month’s POD rental fee for April-May. However, Deck Helmet’s continuing delays, and inability to meet its own deadlines, cause me to incur excess expense for two additional month’s rental: May-June ($211.46), and June-July ($211.46). This additional $422.92 excess cost is work on time. Attached are POD invoices as proof of the excess expense incurred, for your records.DamageIn addition to the delay caused by Deck Helmet, you also damaged my property due to careless application of the deck-coating product. We were told that the areas around the deck would be covered by a tarp to protect against overspray. This was not done. As a result, the deck furniture has a light coating of white deck material, and the plants and shrubberies under the deck are similarly lightly covered with deck material. Many of the plants are withering where they have been coated. Photographs available upon request. Final PaymentWe are willing to waive any further damage claims and assessments against Deck Helmet in return for your accepting our final payment of $4,552.08.With this final payment I consider the matter closed, and that we are now in the 10-year warranty period, which I expect Deck Helmet to honor as per the contract.

Review: Had the contract written up 5/13/13. Was told my deck would look brand new with their product and crew. Deck Helmet said our gate at top of stairs and stairs would be repaired as well as the coating to prevent slivers and nail pops as part of the process. They then power wash with their pre-treatment. When guys got here 5/30/13 to start the work they said there was nothing they could do about the stairs and gate, it was structural not their problem. I called the manager and was rudely told it was just a misunderstanding on my part when the estimator was here and there was nothing he could do since they had already started the job. I had asked at that same phone call I wanted an itemized bill telling me exactly where the money was going. never got one. When finished that night it looked awful and they had to come back the following day 5/31/13 to fix it. Two days later 6/3/13 the product they put on started cracking and nails are already popping out. This product says it prevents cracks and nail pops from happening for 10 yrs, It does say that on the contract I have. They had over charged me at one point and it took them 4 days to finally get back to me after repeated phone calls. The customer service had been awful and very rude. Not happy at all with the company and product all around.Desired Settlement: I would like my money back and to be done with the company all together. I have one check they cashed for $1,908.00 and a charge on my Credit Card for 1,100.00.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

I do not accept the response from Deck Helmet: These are just a few picture of what is going on with my deck. Everyday I go out there are new cracks everywhere. Not including the spots that were not finished correctly in the first place. I do not see how coming out to fill the cracks that are there and continue to happen is going to fix my problem. The product you put on is continuing to crack everyday!! This is not a 5,000 dollar deck! It looks terrible. I want my money back so we can do our deck properly. We went into this contract believing what the company offers: a 10yr warranty on no cracking, peeling nail pops ect. And this is what we got 3 days after it was applied and continue to have every day since. The company has been very hard to deal with and the Manager jonh has been very rude and abrasive. My neighbor and I could not believe how he talk over us the whole time as he looked at our problems. Even saying he did not understand why I was upset with the the outcome of the deck itself. We want our money back!

Regards,

Business

Response:

We would be more than happy to fix the issues on your deck but no refund will be given

Business

Response:

Hello this is [redacted] the owner of Deck Helmet I would like to visit your house and meet with you. What is a good date and time to meet next week?

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I will not be in town nest week. I leave on this Sat.15 to July 9th. I would really like to meet before I leave. Is there any chance we can make that happen? thank you for your time [redacted].

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: I was told by Sales Rep [redacted] on 0522/that Deck Helmet would restore my deck to look just like a new composite deckHe informed me of the process, first the cleaning using a solution to clean strip, and seal cracks in my deck thru a curing process.I choose a color of cherry that same day my husband and I decided to go to a lighte color, I called [redacted] as well as e-mailing him of our decission he stated that he would send the samples out with the cleaner, that did not happenI called and emailed him again and he sent it via email the color seemed darker via email thaen the actual colorThe guy came out on 05/29/he was so concerned about going over two hours to clean that he did not strip the deck of all the stainI was concerned since we had went to a lighter color that it would not cover the staini tried on several ocassions to reach someone via customer service and I was told someone would call me back but no one didI orignally told [redacted] I was leaving on a cruise on June 17th- 21st and not to send anyone out during that time he wrote it on the top of my agreement that I signed.I also called the customer service and verbally left the same request and was told they would have someone to call still no call I have placed calls, emails and text messages between 5/22/and 06/28/and only received email and callsI was called by [redacted] with the cleaning date and was told by [redacted] and [redacted] that someone would call each time before sending someone out to my home which they did notThe only contact # they have is my cell # which I had with me on vacation and no one called and they sent some out to do the jobthe 1st step was to clean, the next step was to re-secure my entire deck and then refacingthe second step was skipped no re-securing was done and I believe that is why they came out while I was on vacation although the weather was calling for rainWhen I came home my deck was horrible, the cracks were very noticeable and appears worse than before, no re-securing was done, painting running and puckering not smooth at all, and my original concern the light color did not cover the stain that was left on my deck during the cleaning process, my grandson could have done betterI received a voicemail from [redacted] about my deck being completed not stating the final step to [redacted]e to do a final walk throughI called him back with all of the above complaints did he come out no he sent the painters back and not the crew to do the re-securing and they told me they were only suppose to do the painting I showed them the horrible job and pointed out the the flaws and they said the bleeding was do to the deck not being stripped , I then asked them why would you paint if you knew that the stain color would bleed .I then told them I needed a manager to come out and that is when [redacted] came out on 06/25/and he stated the guys did not mix the paint well and that is why it was bleeding, he had no explanation for the re-securing, being the project manager he should have known before sending the painters out that the re-securing was not doneI was email after the cleaning was doneHe told me that I would hear from him in a couple of days on the evening of 06/27/have not heard from [redacted] called and texted him, still no responseI then called him on 06/28/to address my concerns and asked if he was to apply a darker color walnut on the bottom, steps and landing would this cover some of the cracks I feel that the lighter color shows up the cracks when I had a darker color it was not as badHe stated that someone will come out to fill in the cracks this is not acceptable, and that is a process that was not explained to me, nor is it in the steps provided with my agreementdthis step should have been done before the painting and now they are going to do patch work and expect me to pay the same fee.They can start the process over or put down a darker colorI am now being told when the weather permits there is rain in the forecast for the next week and a halfThe weather did not stop them when I was on vacation and the forecast was calling for rain.I should have been placed on priority since they did a bum job the first timeMy friend said she saw them out painting a deck on Wednesday why not my houseI also asked [redacted] why did they paint two coats on the first visit and was told it only takes mins for the coats to dryOn Wednesday over degrees no rain, Thursday over degrees no rain until late evening why colud no one come to re- secure or paint my deck.Desired Settlement: I would like the job to be completed in the matter explained to me with no patch work being doneI was offered a % discount by [redacted] but am requesting a 20% discount on the entire job
Business
Response:
We are very to sorry that you have had so many issuesWe would be able to provide you with 10% off and $gift card to [redacted].[redacted]
Consumer
Response:
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your [redacted]plaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Review: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
They have not finished the job my deck is only half finished.I have not heard from anyone since 06/25/13.[redacted] stated they would be out if weather permits, since then there has been at least days of no rain and days with rain in the late eveningI would like to know when they plan to complete the job and then we can talk about some type of compensation for my inconvience
Regards,
Business
Response:
We will be happy to fix the issues within the next days weather permitting
Consumer
Response:
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Review: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because
This is what they have been saying since 06/25/if weather permitsThere has been days of no rain and days of rain in the late eveningWhy can't they come out to re-secure my deck which has no bearing on the weatherat least this is showing some good faithDeck Helmet has been seen out applying their product since 06/25/so the weather has been permitting for other customers why not me
Regards,
Business
Response:
We will be out on Friday to fix your deck rain or shineIf it rains we will re secure your deck and apply coating on the next nice dayPlease create punhlist of all items
via deckhelmet.com/punchlist

Please run away from this company as fast as you can...
We signed a contract with them in April for $10k to seal both of our decks. We put half down on a deposit. Numerous appointments with no shows. Other times they just show up at your house unannounced. Our decks have been sprayed approximately 6 times now. All of the coats are horrible. The last time out, they just started sawing away on our decks with a circular saw to try and get some of the layers off because they are so awful. Trash (food wrappers, drink bottles, left over materials, tarps, etc.) was left in our yard for months which we ended up having to clean up eventually. They killed all of our grass and flowers by dumping buckets of the spray coating in our yard. Our decks are so bad now they have to be replaced. They far exceeded the time allowed by contract. Been asking for a refund for months. It is now December and they just sent me a threatening letter to take me to court! This company is disorganized and unethical, and no one speaks English.

Review: When you sit on it and look at it you can tell there are a lot of workmanship issues that need to be corrected I still have loose screws and cracked boards with pictures to prove it. They have damaged my personal property; they got paint on the street, paint on the patio, and paint on the neighbor’s house. I have called numerous times and have heard nothing back. I was told by the salesman that the team they sent to do my deck is "no longer with the company because of poor performance." I feel like the process has been nothing but runaround and it would simply just like a refund. The service was inadequate and not what I paid for.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of the full amount paid because of the damage to property, time wasted, and the promises of what the product could do I was deceived. I gave them a deposit in the form of a check for $1800.00 and $3600.00 on my credit card

Business

Response:

Hello this is Jason A[redacted] the CEO of Deck Helmet. We will be more than happy to fix any issues that you have asap. If havent already done so please fill out a punch list via http://www.deckhelmet.com/punch-list. I will make sure we are out to fix this items on the next nice day.

Review: We were promised a completion date April 26,2014 for deck restoration service. The sales person wrote this date on our contract. We understand they were unable perform during rain days. They failed to show up on two additional documented/promised days. Followed by another 2 weeks of no service with perfect weather. We then got calls saying they needed information on preferred stain color choice. The salesperson had taken photographs with his own [redacted] on the day of the first visit validate stain color choice. We were then called a week later to provide another photograph. The following week resulted in a representative requesting I call home depot to get a color stain code. We did this and are still without a satisfactory job completion.Desired Settlement: Complete deck service to customer satisfaction as promised within the week .

Business

Response:

We will finish the job and pay $160 for the fish

Review: A deposit was given on October 27, 2014 in the amount of $3275 for services, with Right to Rescind within 3 days for full refund. All steps were followed in writing for cancellation of service within those 3 days, however, deposit check was cashed by them sooner than the 3 days. I have been calling to find out status of my refund since October 31, 2014, and every time I have been told that someone will return my call, with no calls being returned. I was finally connected with "Beverly" on November 14, 2014 when I refused to hang up until I spoke with someone right then, and was then told I needed to also submit an online refund request in order to receive my refund! (No one could've said that when I initially called 2 weeks earlier?) Once I completed the online request, I received an automated email response saying:

"Thank You for submitting your refund request! To cancel your agreement YOU MUST mail a written notice by certified mail or telegram to Deck Helmet to [redacted] Bethesda , Maryland [redacted] postmarked no later than midnight of the third business day after the agreement was signed. EXCEPTION: We will notify you via email as soon as you refund request is received , approved , denied and when the refund check is mailed out. Please note once approved the refund will arrive at your home within 30 days. Best Regards, Deck Helmet Refund Team"

Fortunately I read the agreement beforehand and had already done all of those things, but I feel sorry for those who don't! It's already too late at that point! I have opened several tickets every week for the last month and a half. It is now December 11, 2014 and still no acknowledgement of submitted online refund request and no refund received.Desired Settlement: I would only like to receive my money back ASAP

Business

Response:

We have sent the refund out and it should be arriving this week

Review: We signed a contract on 4/14/14. Paid a deposit of $4475. Deck Helmet power washed the deck. Deck Helmet delivered the lumber to start the construction process. The lumber sat outdoors for a few storms. We asked they not use this lumber because the lumber had warped. When The showed up last Thursday, they didn't call which we had requested an advance call because we have three dogs that use a doggie door. They started replacing boards and left the job incomplete and when they left, they left the gate open. We called to complain on several matters. [redacted] a supervisor met with [redacted] on Friday and promised to be here this weekend to complete all the work. They didn't show up Saturday. When we talked to [redacted] he said they would arrive between 2-4. they never showed up. sunday morning another guys shows up at 9:30AM to deliver tools for the crew thats on the way. He said the crew had an issue with a wheel but would arrive within 30-40 minutes. They haven't arrived and I am no longer letting them on my property. He arrives to tell me more lies. I've had enough. That's a lot of money to get strung along. I want a refund. They have not done $4475 worth of work since 4/14/14.Desired Settlement: This company is dishonest. Consumers should know it and by me filing a complaint it will help get the message out. I request an immediate refund as quickly as they cashed my deposit check.

Business

Response:

Deck is completed job paid in full

Review: 26 Sept 2013: Deck Helmet’s appointment to come to my house to give me an estimate on services. Appointment time 10AM-12PM….

Deck Helmet was a “NO SHOW”

I called them to find out what happened. Their answer was they were so sorry but they had no clue. They did show me as having an appointment on this day and time. They offered to reschedule, I told them I was going out of town and would like for them to call and reschedule with me in about 2 weeks.

DECK HELMET NEVER TALKED TO ME ABOUT RESCHEDULING

14 Oct 2013: Deck Helmet Salesperson, [redacted], randomly showed up at my house, while I was right in the middle of another project…I accommodated him because I really want to take advantage of the Deck Helmet Services.

He has only been on the job for two weeks and should have had a more experienced salesperson accompany him. I told him I need them to start work right away and he promised and wrote on the contract…”Start on 10/17/2013 otherwise cancel” so I agreed to a price and he wrote up the contract.

He told me that Deck Helmet only accepts checks or cash….NO WAY !!!!!! He left the house and came back saying he could take the credit card. He wanted me to write my credit card number and information on the contract …. NO WAY !!!!! He was frustrated and left.

Deck Helmet called and said they could take my credit card information over the phone which I did. My credit card was promptly charged $2625.00.

17 Oct 2013: At approximately 1430, I contacted Deck Helmet to find out why no one had showed up to begin work on my deck. They told me that I was schedule for anytime between 8AM and 5PM. I said fine I will wait to see if someone shows up. At approximately 1830 I called them back to inform them, nothing happened and to initiate cancellation and refund the $2625.00. They could not put me in touch with an “Escalated” Customer Service Agent at that time.

18 Oct 2013: Approximately 11AM I call Deck Helmet to check the status of my cancellation request and I am connected to a customer service agent, [redacted], who to me that I needed to submit a Certified Letter to Deck Helmet, requesting a Refund and Cancellation. She was very stubborn about giving me anymore information and would not give me the proper address to mail this certified letter. She just kept saying the address on the contract. I asked her if you could tell me the address and she refused. She has no idea how long it would take to get my refund.

TOTAL AND COMPLETE UNSATISFACTION FROM DECK HELMET COMPANY !!!!!Desired Settlement: PLEASE CANCEL MY CONTRACT, THAT HAS NO CONTRACT NUMBER, AND REFUND MY $2625.00…JUST AS FAST AS YOU CHARGED MY CREDIT CARD

Business

Response:

Issue has been resolved we have provided discount for issues that have occurred and I have given customer my direct number

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: We had Deck Helmet applied 2 years ago. I have contacted them to repair the peeling paint, rotted wood boards and stained deck and they are refusing to correct the problem. The warranty states that the work is good for 10 years ~ we first contacted them 8 months after application of the product because the paint was peeling and they applied one coat to make it look ok. 8 months later the wood boards are visibly rotting and the paint is peeling everywhere, even on the wood boards they replaced. I have contacted customer service at least 20 times and have not gotten a response. I have requested repair and have gotten no response. I have now had to tear out half the deck because the boards are so visibly rotten and unsafe.Desired Settlement: I am requesting some sort of refund. I would like a full refund, but partial is also acceptable since we've had the product for 2 years.

The warranty in no way did what it said it would do. This is a terrible company with terrible customer service.

Business

Response:

Deck Helmet doesn't prevent a deck that was rotting from underneath prior to Deck Helmet application. We will however re-coat your entire deck once you've replaced the rotted areas

Review: The original purchase of the resurfacing product was not what was promised (a credit card thick coating that resurfaces and protects your deck). Almost immediately product started to peel away and discolor. Wood under the product is rotting and not providing a sound structure of support. I believe their warranty is 10 years. I've been trying to have this problem resolved since April of 2014. My calls go unreturned. Promises for the repairs to be made are ignored.Desired Settlement: Complete refund. Being that the product itself is crap. I no longer wish for the repairs to be made. Instead, I believe, a full refund should be issued as the cost to fix our deck now will exceed what we paid Deck Helmet.

Business

Response:

We would be more than happy to fix the issue visit deckhelmet.com/warranty

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:I have gone through the warranty process online and via telephone 4 separate times over a six-month period and have been told three separate times that my problem would be taken care of only to get ignored. My warranty has been approved over and over again and I've been told over and over again that the work will be complete within 60 days of the warranty being approved. Had you read the body of my complaint you'd see that my issue is I have been ignored for over six months. And I've contacted you numerous times. For you to say you'd be happy to take care of my issues by visiting warrantee.com/deck helmet is obviously another attempt to brush me off as I have done that three or four separate times in the past already.

Regards,

Business

Response:

We can fix your deck and it will be done within 14 days

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: Deck Helmet has failed to honor their contract. The most concerning issue is charging our credit credit for the final payment without authorization on June 17th. We had an open ticket with remaining issues on the contracted job, and they closed the ticket out from their end and charged our credit card. Per our contract agreement--once the job is completed to our satisfaction, then we close out our ticket on-line and enter our payment method. We have documentation have taken pictures throughout the process because of the poor workmanship from the beginning. Replaced boards did not fit properly, boards were cut in the middle of the deck leaving seams through out the deck, stair tread was cut too short. The Project Manager never showed to take a look at the carpentry work prior to the coating being applied. Unfortunately, when it was time to apply the coating, the workers failed to protect anything under and around the deck including the brick on our home. Consequently, there are large sections of grass that are dead, we have white overspray on our brick and new outdoor furniture, as well as brown coating on the slate and landscaping below the deck. Most recently, we have a replaced board on a stair that has warped and popped up--making it unsafe. Also, the coating on deck and railings is bubbling and lifting.

On June 3rd, I made a phone call requesting that the Project Manager-[redacted] come take a look at the project and I have yet to see him. All of these are warrantied items, but I can't get the company to respond nor can my bank get Deck Helmet to respond. I filed a dispute against the last payment made because there are still unfinished items and warranty work that needs to be completed. More importantly, they used my credit card without authorization. I have in writing that I specifically did not give authorization for the last payment to be placed on my credit card. That request was made to [redacted].

We are happy to forward pictures or documentation from the beginning to the end of this process.Desired Settlement: We would like Deck Helmet to:

Please send a supervisor to our propertyt to look at the job, so that they can see for themselves the existing issues. We would like them to fix the deck which includes the coating (bubbling & drip marks) in various places and replace/repair the lifting boards. Power wash the side of our home to remove paint chips. We also expect for the sections of our lawn and dead plants to be replaced as well as the landscaping bricketts which are covered in white paint.

We have spent countless hours trying to clean up the mess after the Deck Helmet employees left our property. We are reasonable people and are just looking for Deck Helmet to full fill the contractual agreement which includes warranty work.

Business

Response:

I am very sorry for the issues that have come up. The team will be out within 7 days to fix your deck weather permitting. Please visit deckhelmet.com/punchlist to make a list of the items that need to be fixed.

Review: We contracted with Deck Helmet last spring to paint our deck. It took numerous visits and countless hours reporting issues to get the project done so that it looked ok, then within 24 hours of the 5th visit to paint the product bubbled. Deck Helmet sent people out to replace boards and sand out bubbles. They replaced the existing decking boards with boards that are not the same size and thickness of the existing boards. Boards not the steps are spaced so much that you trip going up the steps, and the structure of the deck has been damaged. There are boards with no supports underneath and the deck moves when you walk on it. The boards that Deck Helmet installed in the fall warped and split this winter. It is now a safety issue. The owner came out and was very rude, calling my husband names and cursing when he shared his frustration with him. His offer was to rebuild the deck. Frankly, we do not have any faith that he employs any people who are capable to do the work. We told him that we would agree to that if they pulled the necessary permits and send licensed professionals to fix it. His response was that "they work under my license". Our original contract was for $7,500. Deck Helmet still holds a $3,000.00 deposit of ours. We have two separate estimates for repairing and replacing the damaged deck, which average $10,500 to get the deck back to the condition it was in before we started this process 14 months ago, and $14,000 to have it fixed and painted. The drop dead date for project completion was July 2013 and we are way beyond that window. I have sent these estimates to Deck Helmet already and will gladly give them to the Revdex.com too. I also have pictures of the damage and poor workmanship resulting in an unsafe deck.Desired Settlement: We are asking for a refund of our deposit and for Deck Helmet to pay to fix the damage they caused so that we can have a useable, safe space for our family in the amount of $10,500, or our $3,000 deposit back and $7,500 to cover the damage to the structure and to replace the boards that were the wrong size and were incorrectly installed which now present a safety hazard. This will get us back to the place we were in before we contracted with this company. We will hire another company to execute the work and to paint it. We will pay for the painting, but feel as though Deck Helmet should be responsible for the damage they caused.We

Business

Response:

Deck Helmet is willing to settle the issues by fixing the issues or refunding your money.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because refunding our $3,000 deposit does not begin to repair the structural damage that was done to our deck. We have been having the deck "fixed and repaired" by Deck Helmet since August of last year, every time they have come out more damage has been caused. We never asked for our deck to be ripped apart by Deck Helmet, but since their product bubbled all over the deck that was their solution. We will be hiring a licensed deck contractor to make the repairs to the structural damage and request that Deck Helmet pay for the repair of the damage they are responsible for, $10,500 according to the estimates we have from two independent contractors.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:We regret that you feel that your deck is damaged but we stand by our reputation and brand. In order to resolve this dispute and to bring you close to a satisfactory resolution we are making a final offer of $5,000.00. Please let us know where we can mail the check.[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because it is not even half of the amount required to repair the damage to the structure of the deck. The product bubbling is half of the issue, the shoddy workmanship by Deck Helmet workers is the other half. I sincerely expect you to stand behind both your workers and your product.

Regards,

Review: A month ago a salesperson visited wrote a contract. Salesperson would only take a check. We wrote the check and subsequently cancelled contract IAW the contract terms (3 days). The Company signed in receipt of cancellation but still deposited my check 3 days after cancelling the contract. I have tried working with customer service and the customer service supervisors all very nice but none producing any results. Three weeks after the contract was cancelled I still don't have a check and I keep getting (10 times) my issue elevated with no results. They illegally have my money and I don't seem to have any success getting it back. There is a reason they only accept checks. They deposited my check THREE days AFTER the contract was cancelled. This is just illegal.Desired Settlement: I want my money back immediately. They are just holding my money.

Business

Response:

The money was refunded and mailed out yesterday.

Review: My deck was completely refinished in March 2013. Old wood was replaced and a new protective finish was applied. The protective finish was purchased from a home improvement store and applied, according to the label instructions, by a

professional contractor. During the summer of 2013, the protective finish peeled off in large sheets. Although, the contractor repainted the bare spots several times, I wasn’t satisfied with the product.

On February 28, 2014, a representative from Deck Helmet (DH) provided an estimate to refinish my deck. During the appointment, the salesman went through the DH process, inspected my deck and presented a contract for me to sign. The representative made a point to say that although it was late winter, DH’s schedule is filling up fast and if I wanted to complete the project by spring, I should sign the contract immediately. I recognized that his comment as a hard sales pitch but his statement had some validity. My project completion date, as called for in the contract, was April 30th. I issued a deposit check to DH for $2, 975.

Monday, March 10th – a crew arrived, unscheduled, to power wash my deck in order to remove the original deck finish. The power washing crew removed all of my deck furniture and placed the furniture (in the mud) in my flower beds. The furniture could have been neatly stacked on our brick patio at the base of the deck. Someone decided it was better to put the furniture in the mud. I had to move the furniture and clean the mud coated legs. The perennial vines that were planted in the flower beds, where the furniture was stacked, didn’t recover and died. Roughly, 80% of the old coating was removed and flaked paint had washed into the yard. Small flakes of paint covered the grass around my deck. I had to rake up the paint in order to prevent the grass from dying.

Tuesday, March 26th – I called the 1-888 number to ask about the next step in the process and I had questions relating to project’s schedule. I was told that someone form DH would be in touch with me the next day. DH never returned the call.

Wednesday, April 16th – I received a form letter from DH explaining that my project completion date, as called for in my contract, wasn’t really an “absolute must finish” completion date but only an estimate and my new

completion date was now May 20th.

Saturday April 20th – a DH employee showed up, unscheduled, to sand the remaining 20% of the paint that hadn’t been removed during power washing. He worked for about 4 hours and left. There was still a large amount of paint

remaining on the deck.

Thursday, April 24th – I arrived home, from work, to find that someone from DH had attempted to paint a base coat of primer paint during a thunderstorm. No one from DH called to let me know that they were going to work on the deck that day. It was raining when I left the house that Thursday morning and we received over an inch of rain that day. The paint, a water based paint, washed into my yard. My yard had been newly sodded 3 weeks earlier. Around 6:30 PM, I called the 1-888 number and demanded that I speak to someone that evening. Around 9:00 PM someone from DH returned my call. I was assured that someone form DH would contact me the next day. I never receive a call back as promised from DH.

Thursday, May 1st – I signed on to the DH website to see if my account had been updated with a new completion schedule. I found that my new completion date was changed from May 20th to May 30th. No communication from DH; I just happened to sign on to the website and discovered the change.

Saturday, May 17th – A workman from DH showed up at my door, unscheduled, and asked if he could work on the deck Saturday and Sunday. Although we had plans for the weekend, I allowed him to work that weekend. I walked him out to the

deck and asked him several questions relating to the project. i.e.: Why did you attempt to paint a base coat during a thunderstorm? Answer: I hoped that the rain would stop long enough for the paint to dry. After I pointed out that the paint had washed into the yard and could potentially kill my new sod. He quickly pointed out that the paint he applied was water soluble. I responded: “I’m not concerned that the paint will stain my grass but I am concerned with the chemicals in the paint that could kill my grass’. I told him that I had pictures of the paint that washed into the yard and pictures of the wooden railing that had been removed. The rails that were removed had been replaced a year earlier with new lumber.

Sunday, May 18th - 8:30 AM - I was awakened by noise from the deck. I went out to talk to the worker and he asked me if the Sea Foam Green that he was painting the deck was the correct color. I told him that I had specified River Rock on the contract. We had plans for Sunday and when we returned home, the DH employee was gone. The railings in question reappeared and the entire deck was painted Sea Foam Green.

Monday, May 19th- I received a call from a DH representative who informed me that a crew would arrive the next day to finish my project. I told him that the color that was applied over the weekend was incorrect. The DH representative asked me for the correct color. I informed him that it was River Rock; as called for in the contract. He assured me that the deck would be painted as requested.

Tuesday, May 20th – Project completed and the deck looks good. Unfortunately, it was a long and arduous process; 82 days after contract signing. Poor communication and hap-hazard workmanship led to my poor rating on Deck Helmet. Four hundred square feet of sod around the entire perimeter of the deck is dead along with a dozen perennial vines. Every time someone from DH appeared at my door, it was the same person, in the same dirty DH logo shirt and driving an unmarked white van. I suspect that DH sub-contracts projects to non-licensed contractors.Desired Settlement: I want a significant adjustment in my final payment in light of the length of time that I was not able to use my deck, constant and ongoing issues with the contractor and the damage done to my landscape.

Business

Response:

I am sorry that you have had issues over the last few months but you must understand that we work outside and the Deck Helmet coating must be applied in certain weather conditions. First due to Temperatures below freezing we where not able to start the season until May 1, 2014. Please remember it was snowing in April. Second Deck Helmet is 100% transparent about the time that it takes to complete a Deck. Attached is the contract and welcome letter that reviews our process and the time period . I understand you wanted your Deck done and it is know done and you are happy with the outcome. We have no ability to waive you final balance but would be happy to offer you a $500 gift card to restaurants.com

Review: Deck Helmet : We have been trying to get Deck Helmet customer service for over 2 plus years. We have left many voice mail messages for follow up service with no replies. We have left many emails for follow up Deck Helmet service with no replies. We have records of all attempted contacts with Deck Helmet. We know that you have our name, address, email, and phone number are in your system because of our purchase of parts and labor and contract with Deck Helmet.

There have been problems since the very first day the Deck Helmet was installed.

We have records of all attempts to contact you.

Please contact us , to fix the initial work done by your workers and to make this wrong a right .

Thank you,

[redacted]Desired Settlement: Finish the job. Repair of poor initial workmanship. Return of phone calls and email replies.

Business

Response:

Please call [redacted] ask for Jason

Review: My spouse and I took advantage of the lower cost last fall. The very next day instead of a beautiful new looking deck we had big paint bubbles. We tried everything to get them out to redo it including scheduling a new install appointment. They agreed the deck looked like crap had to prove it was their product and said "we'll be out tomorrow. 10 weeks and still a no show, no call or anything. Why did it take 10 weeks? I'm being treated for a rare liver cancer in Florida and my husband is deployed. This has done nothing but make my health worseDesired Settlement: Or redo the deck when it's dry!!!!!!!

Business

Response:

Please submit your warranty claim and we will be happy to fix the issues. www.deckhelmet.com/warranty

Review: We are VERY disappointed, dissatisfied, and unhappy with the work Deck Helmet did on our deck. After the FIRST attempt to fix our deck, the results were:

• The walking surface was not as smooth as expected/promised. The guarantee is that the surface will be safe for walking barefoot. Instead the surface still had numerous nail heads that were partially sticking out, and multiple wood planks still have old dips and cracks which were not filled in and can pose as splinter hazards. Basically, not at all the barefoot friendly deck they promised in the beginning.

• The surface was not at all sanded. It was explained/described to us by the estimator who came by during the initial consultation that each plank will be sanded. This was not at all done…they painted the deck with the surface still rough from debris not swept off the deck and frayed wood.

• The deck did not have that composite-like finish as promised. The so-called ‘Revolutionary Coating System’ paint they used wasn’t ¼ thick and the overall finish/look did not leave our deck with that composite-like finish. In addition, only the top surface of the planks was painted. It was also explained/described to us by the estimator who came by during the initial consultation that 3 sides of each plank (surface and 2 other sides apart from the bottom surface) will be treated with the paint.

We voiced our concerns/issues/dislikes to Deck Helmet and they sent the same two workers two days later to try to fix all of our complaints. After the SECOND attempt to fix our deck, the results were: The deck still does not have a composite-like finish. There are multiple areas in which the paint bubbled. The paint surface is not smooth, instead has a “caked” appearance. Two of the three sides of each plank were not painted. There is dried paint filling the space between multiple planks. There are still some dips and cracks not filled. The corners of the replaced railing planks are not flushed together. The overall appearance is just a disappointment! It is not the type of work result I would expect from professionals at all. We were promised showroom and professional quality work and this is not what our deck shows at all, it’s an overall bad paint job…certainly not worth the 50% down payment we paid up front!

It has been an inconvenience, time-consuming, and frustrating experience with Deck Helmet. I have had to miss work for two days when they were here for two full days doing work. And I do not like how they do not call to ask if a certain day/time is good for my schedule for Deck Helmet to come to do work.Desired Settlement: I would like to have all the planks of the walking surface replaced with new planks and all planks to be treated and painted on the 3 surfaces as promised. I do not see how the current condition of our deck can be further fixed. Only 3 planks of the walking surface were replaced, but should have been most if not all the planks (as also suggested and pointed out by the men who worked on our deck). If Deck Helmet fixes all the problems and finishes the deck to our satisfaction, I would like a discount on the final balance because of the inconvenience of my time and the frustration of not having my deck to its promised end result in a timely manner. If Deck Helmet cannot do what I asked above and/or finish the deck to my satisfaction, I would like a full refund.

Business

Response:

Deck Helmet will be more than happy to inspect the Deck & make sure the deck looks to 100% of Deck Helmets standards.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: The one time a manager wanted to come by to inspect the deck, he left a VM to say he was 25 minutes away from the house. You need to call more than 24 hours in advance for a day and time to come by. My wife and I are working, and have two kids...don't expect that we are home 24/7 waiting for someone at Deck Helmet to come by! Needless to say, we were told by a representative from Deck Helmet that that manager still came by to inspect the deck. What's the point of coming over to inspect if my wife and I weren't there. We were the ones who requested to have a manager come by so we can voice our concerns and physically show the poor results of the work done to our deck. Today (7/8/14), the same workers came over without a call from Deck Helmet "to do work" on the deck. We do not appreciate at all that they come unexpected to the house, and how do we know that they know what ALL the issues we have with the deck that need to be fixed? We are so frustrated, unhappy, dissatisfied with the professionalism and work ethics of Deck Helmet. The work must be done and to our 110% satisfaction, a discount must be given for all the frustration and inconvenience Deck Helmet has caused, and please communicate and LISTEN to your customers better!

Regards,

Business

Response:

Are job is very weather dependent and thats why we give very short notice.

Review: I was scheduled to have my deck resurfaced, I was sent a letter saying they were over booked and I would be delayed a month, During that period we found out our pipes have busted from our pool...the pipes run under the deck, we are going to have to have a buldozer come in and break cement the pool deck to get to the pipes as well as tear down the deck, therefore there will be no more deck...We can't afford to install a new deck as this will cost us over 22000$ to have the other work done...I contacted Deck helmet explained my situation the reponse was I am sorry to hear you are dealing with this mess, asked me to send a certified letter explaining the same thing again to the address listed in Bethesda, I did this, waited and waited and waited 4 months went by no reposnse, I called and called, was hung up on 6 times then finally promised I would be contacted, when I finally was contacted by ###-###-#### no name caller I explained my situation all over again and was told I will recieve a call back within an hour that was on 9/23/14 today is 10/7/14 still no answer, I call this number back, I get a TEXT mesage back saying "we said you cant cancel there is no refund" when was I told this??? NEVER so thats it? thats what I have waited 5 months now for? I asked this person to call me since he would not answer my call--I ask for the president of the company's number after asking for a phone call and this no name caller wont even call? But did reply via TEXT that "we" can have a call tomorow... Bottom line is there is NO deck this is an unforseen emergenvy type situation and not a cut and paste of a rufund policy...I deserve to speak to a human being, This comapny is constantly hiding from the public , wont give you numbers to the corporate office, I even went to this [redacted] address, and no business there at that address..Desired Settlement: I stated I would use this company in the future as I own several houses and apologized for the unusaul situation and asked for compassion in this instance, I am just disgusted in the handling of the whole thing, This isn't the ranting of someone that didnt get there way, I have REALLY just had it trying to get a human being on the phone....

Business

Response:

Call Jason A[redacted] at ###-###-####